As the National Assembly (NASS)
considers the 2017 budget, an item under
the Ministry of Health’s (MOH) submission proposes to spend ₦915 million for
the provision and distribution contraceptive commodities as part of counterpart
fund. This unethical waste of scarce resources is worrying and symptomatic of
lack of strategic thinking that this administration is struggling to overcome
in several areas of policy
administration. To deconstruct the underlying principle behind the proposal,
part of government’s sustainable development drive is to control population by
distributing condoms and abortifacients. On analysis, the disconnection between
the goal, formula and result confirms that this argument is specious.
First, spending taxpayers’
contribution on an item which a significant part of the populace find
objectionable and immoral violates their rights as guaranteed by sections 38
subsection 1 of the 1999 constitution (as amended). If people want to use
artificial contraception, one would guess they are constitutionally free to do
so. We all should not have to pay for it.
A detailed review of government’s proposal
shows concerns that an increasing population will occlude meaningful National
Development; however, distributing contraceptives without targeted education on
responsible parenthood will not produce meaningful result. Designed to prevent
conception, distributing contraceptives without a move towards trying to
engender change in behavior through a holistic, knowledge-driven, and
result-oriented approach; government will on an annual basis keep spending
incrementally, our scare collective commonwealth on an action that is futile as
the population continues to rise.
To understand this a bit more,
consider the following: in the last decade, data released by the Family
Planning 2020 (FP 2020) early last year, suggested that Nigeria was among the
top 10 contraceptive providing nations in the world accounting for 22% of the
total contraceptives provided by these 10 nations (Predominantly African) by
2013 & 2014. Over the same period our population has increased by over 30% the highest percentage increase since records
began. This implies that despite the increased supply of contraceptives, our
population has continued to rise and the extent to which government is willing
to increase contraceptives coverage to meet their intended aim remains unknown.
In conversation on population
control, a historically insidious proposition for any government to embark on,
the MOH has made no effort to drive Responsible Parenthood; a principle that
takes into account the individual’s biological, psychological, social and
economic state in planning for birth. Without recourse to this principle,
proliferating contraception will only create a black hole in government
finances where no correlation exists between expenditure and desired outcome. Responsible
Parenthood ensures the person is properly informed on the reliability, the
efficacy, side effects, and costs of the statistically effective fertility
awareness based technique to prevent and attain conception. A correct judgment
can then be made based on proper information that takes into the account the
individual's circumstances, faculty, and environment.
Finally, it is unfortunate that
the government will succumb to the ruse from western backed aid agencies that
flood our continent with contraceptives but not books or medical supplies. The
FP2020 report showing that 80% of the top 10 contraceptive nation are African nations
is not a coincidence and assisting in providing comprehensive education and
quality health service that covers responsible parenthood would be preferable
than bombarding us with condoms and abortifacient.
In reviewing the 2017 budget,
the NASS should query this morally bankrupt provision in the MOH budget to
decide if it forms a judicious use of scarce resources. ₦915 million can
achieve meaningful development if used in other critical areas. Nigeria’s
challenge is not its population but the fair distribution of its resources.
Even a large population should arguably be a source of strength but that is a
discussion for another day.
This article was first published on www.ynaija.com opinion piece (@ynaija) on 16th February, 2016.
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